One day, God looked down on his plan for the family and said, “I need to shake things up.”

So God made a toddler.

God needed someone willing to get up before dawn, cry for milk, run around the house all day, cry for milk again, not eat their supper, and then lay in bed past midnight asking for a glass of water.

So God made a toddler.

It had to be somebody with arms strong enough to climb over the baby gate yet gentle enough to cuddle on the couch on a rainy day. Somebody to make messes, jump on couches, always be hungry, have to wait until Mommy is done feeding the baby and tell Mommy she is ‘bootiful’—and mean it.

RELATED: Thank You God For the Gift of Raising a Toddler

So God made a toddler.

The Lord needed someone to drive Mom so crazy that she counts down the hours until bedtime, only to find herself sneaking into their rooms after they’ve gone to sleep, just to watch them breathe because she misses them so much.”

So God made a toddler.

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He needed somebody willing to stay up all night crying and throwing up. Just to throw up all the next day. Then wipe their eyes and say, “I just want to cuddle, Mommy.” He needed a child who to play hide-and-go-seek and scream at the top of his lungs. Someone to make a car out of a cardboard box, pretend to be a princess, and give the best hugs. And who, every day, would fight with everything in them to not take a nap, only to fall asleep in their high chair at the dinner table covered in spaghetti.

So God made a toddler.

God had to have somebody willing to have an attitude that requires time-outs and yells “No!” all the time, yet sweet enough to make you melt the moment they fall into your arms, who will stop in the middle of playtime just to tell you they love you. It had to be somebody who’d sneak candy and always try to sweet talk for more. Somebody to cry, laugh, scream, cry and giggle and roll around on the floor all in one day and who would run into your arms when they see you coming a mile away.

The world needed a little one to bring a family together with chubby cheeks and dimpled hands, who would laugh and then cuddle, looking up with those precious, sparkling eyes and saying they want to be your best friend forever.

So God made a toddler.

Originally published on From Blacktop to Dirt Road

Toddlers never seem to slow down, but they can be reigned in with fun, educational toys! Here are some of our favorites.

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